The Tale of Zuko
by HM03GAMER
Summary: Zuko's days in Ba Sing Se get a little more complicated after someone figures out his secret. Takes place between Iroh & Zuko moving to Ba Sing Se and Zuko discovering Aang is in the city. Zuko/OC
1. Chapter 1

I do not own anything A:TLA, sadly. Short first chapter. Please enjoy and review if you like!

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Zuko was almost back from the market where his uncle had asked him to buy something for dinner. Everything here was dirty, and he still had a hard time eating the food in the lower ring. The meat was a brown-gray color that made his hunger disappear.

The lower ring of Ba Sing Se was crowded, dirty, and loud. People were constantly out; either betting on street games or begging for money. People called to each other from out of windows and down the streets. But not to him. No one knew his face here. He was thankful for that. They were safe, for now. But this was not where he wanted to make his life.

Down the street he noticed a girl staring at him. _My scar_, he thought, _people notice that_. They did. He got asked once or twice about it. People assumed it was from a raid, or from defending his village. They believed Zuko had fought back against a firebender. And they were wrong. He didn't, and that's why he was here.

The girl was gone. And he was a faceless person in the crowd again. The basket he was carrying was beginning to get heavy in his hands. All he wanted was to be home. _Not home_, he told himself_, in the apartment. It is not our home._ He turned a corner and caught sight of the girl again. She was standing by a fruit cart, staring at him again. He tried not to pay attention as he passed her. Her brown eyes followed him as he walked down the street. He noticed her follow behind him as he walked. At the end of the road, he turned right down the main street of the lower ring. The tea shop was on this street, and the apartment on another side road.

He stopped briefly at a stall to buy some new spark rocks. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the girl walk by and turn down a narrow alley. He paid the merchant and continued towards home. As he passed the alley the girl turned down, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him around the corner. He dropped the basket and responded by pinning the girl to the wall, holding her hand to her back.

"You shouldn't grab strangers" Zuko said. He turned her to face him and took a step back, pulling his knife out. "What do you want? My money? My food?"

"No, please, I'm sorry," she said, collecting herself, "I just needed to know if I was right."

"Right about what?" Zuko looked at her, trying to read her face. He wasn't very good at it.

"About you," She put the heel of her hand against her fist and bowed, "Prince Zuko, it is an honor."

Zuko's eyes widened in shock. He didn't understand. He took another step back, still holding up the knife. "You're confused," he said, "My name is Li." He stared at her and she stated back. Her eyes were shining, she looked like she was overcome with joy.

"My name is Anji," she whispered, "but I've been using the name Yin. There are so many Yins in the city. No one thinks twice of it. That's why you chose Li, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zuko was beginning to feel angry. "My name is Li. My uncle and I agree refugees."

"So am I."

Zuko lowered his knife slightly, and bent down to pick up the food that had fallen. She leaned over to help but he raised his knife again and she backed away. Straightening, he looked at her again.

"Whatever you believe, whoever you think I am, you're mistaken."

Zuko turned and walked back onto the main road. He passed the tea shop and turned right down the road to his apartment. The girl wasn't following him. For the first time in this city, he was afraid of being found out. Ba Sing Se was the last safe place for him and his uncle. He couldn't lose that because of some crazy person who knew who he was.

She knew. How did she know?

He walked into their apartment and began to put away the food he has bought. His uncle walked out of the bedroom to help him. He was humming an old Earth Kingdom song he must have learned while trying to conquer this city all those years ago. He was always fond of the old Earth Kingdom tunes/

He must have looked troubled, because his uncle spoke. "You look more forlorn than usual," Iroh said with a concerned look on his face, "Everything go okay at the market?"

"It was fine there, but, Uncle," Zuko turned to look his uncle in the eyes, "Do you think there are other Fire Nation citizens living here in Ba Sing Se?"

"I believe that is a possibility," Iroh said, putting away a bag of rice, "Something tells me you already know the answer to your question."

"Someone recognized me," Zuko said angrily, "They called me Prince Zuko. They know. And that's a problem"

"Yes, that could be a problem," Iroh said. He looked deep in thought and stroked his beard. Zuko decided that he needed to take care of this. Soon. No one could know who he really was. No one could know that they were here within the walls.

He would make sure no one did.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi all! I hope you enjoy chapter two. As always, whatever you recognize from A:TLA is not my property. Please review, I really enjoy hearing your feedback!

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It was raining. Outside was dark, and thunder was rumbling from far off in the distance. People on the streets were running back to their homes, or into nearby shops for cover. The tea shop was almost completely packed, with all the tables full and still more people standing around by the counter.

Iroh was happy. He had tons of people with which we could share his tea. He liked when people were in the shop. He got to talk to the people of the lower ring. He liked hearing their stories: the struggles that had lead them to be living in Ba Sing Se. Many of them were homeless, their towns destroyed by Fire Nation raids. They talked about the Fire Nation. How frightened they were for family members fighting in the war. How angry they were about what had happened to their families and lives. They also talked about Ba Sing Se, and how lucky they were to be safe inside the wall. Many people said they were pleased that there was no war within the walls.

Iroh felt guilty. For 600 days, he was tried to bring these walls down, to let the Fire Nation into the last safe city in the Earth Kingdom. He was glad now that he had failed, because if he had not, there would be no safe place for him and his nephew.

He glanced over towards Zuko, who was pouring tea for an elderly couple sitting by the door. Iroh was glad that Zuko was here with him. He loved his nephew very much. There was so much potential in him that he hadn't yet been able to see in himself. Zuko walked passed Iroh to put away the money he had gotten for the tea. Iroh was proud of his nephew.

Zuko walked up beside him. "They told me today was their anniversary. I was going to give them a coupon for a free cup of tea," he said blandly. Iroh noticed his tone of voice. He knew his nephew tried to act stronger than he was.

"That is very nice of you," he said to his nephew, "it is always kind to share in other people's happiness." He watched Zuko walk back to the couple. The woman smiled widely and thanked him. They were very grateful for the gift. Zuko did not smile. He simply wished them a pleasant day, and returned to the counter.

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The day was wearing on. It was hectic and Zuko was not enjoying being bossed around by the Earth Kingdom peasants that came into the shop. Many of them did not thank him for the tea. It was crowded and noisy, and getting through the crowd of people was difficult. He wished the rain would stop so they would go, but it continued to rain on and on.

His Uncle looked content, like he wanted nothing else than to wait on these people hand and foot. Zuko wondered how he could be happy doing this. It was servant work, and they were royalty. He could not accept that he was considered a traitor in his homeland. He would not accept it.

"I said I wanted the Jasmine tea," a voice said loudly.

"What," Zuko shook himself. He had been starring off into space, thinking. He looked at the man in front of him. He was a big, beefy man with a strong jaw. Zuko turned to pour his tea.

"Any day now would be nice," the man said again. He was obviously impatient, but Zuko made no effort to speed up making his tea. "Come on Scarface, you need to learn to be quicker."

_Scarface,_ Zuko thought, _really clever. _Zuko turned back to face him. He handed the man his tea, and held out his hand for the money. The man sneered at him and turned to walk away without paying, but unfortunately turned straight into Iroh.

"May I show you to a table," he said, "the tea will be two copper pieces. And if you'd like anything else, please let me or my nephew know. We would be happy to serve you."

The man handed him the copper pieces and went to sit down. Zuko glared at him as he went. Iroh stood beside him, and put the money into the container.

"You cannot let their comments anger you," Iroh said, "They do not matter. Just ignore them, and be polite."

"I'm not going to be polite to men like him," Zuko spat. He turned and walked into the back to brew a fresh pot of Jasmine tea. _Be polite_, he thought, outraged, _with the way they treat us? _ Zuko hated working here. He hated his life in Ba Sing Se.

He walked back out with the fresh pot, and noticed something. There was a girl sitting in the far corner of the room. She had dark hair, but her face was turned away from the counter. Zuko made his way through the crowd, collecting empty tea cups as he passed. He reached the table the girl sat at.

"Are you finished with this?" he asked, picking up her nearly empty cup.

"Oh, not quite yet!" She turned and amber eyes met green ones. "I want to finish it; the tea here is so wonderful." She smiled at him. This was not the girl from the street. He breathed deeply and put her cup back down.

"Would you like a fresh cup?" Zuko asked, "The Jasmine is just finishing steeping."

"I would love one," the girl smiled, "but unfortunately, I can't pay for it. So thank you, but no."

"Don't worry," Zuko said, "It's on the house."

He turned to walk back to the counter when he caught sight of someone. She was here, the girl from the street. She had just walked in and was taking her hood off. She shook her hair back into place and looked around. She caught sight of Zuko and her eyes widened. She looked at him the way she had in the alley. Suddenly, she pulled her hood back up and stepped back out of the shop. Zuko went quickly to the door and stepped outside after her. He watched as the girl walked up the street and into an apartment building a few blocks down.

_So she's close_, Zuko thought. He went back inside and got a cup of tea for the girl with the green eyes. He brought it to her, and she thanked him for his generosity. Not that it made much difference to him. They did not own this shop, and no one would notice one missing cup of tea.

The day was finally over. Zuko was sweeping, and Iroh was finishing putting away all the cups. They finished up their work, and the owner paid them and sent them on their way home. Iroh was humming happily as they walked through the rain back to the apartment. Zuko didn't know how one person could be so content. But his Uncle always was.

They reached their apartment and Iroh began to cook them dinner. As they sat and ate, Iroh told him stories from his days as a general, and about his siege on the city. Zuko had heard them all before. His Uncle had been a great general, but the loss of his son had been too painful for him. When Zuko was younger, he thought it was weakness. But he had grown to realize that it wasn't, and that his Uncle was a very strong man.

The rain stopped as they ate. When they were finished, Zuko brought the plates to the water basin to wash them. He wanted to go out, and find that girl. They weren't safe as long as she was in the city.

"You look restless," Iroh said, "You haven't been right the last few days. Is everything okay, Zuko?"

"I need to get out for a bit," he said, mostly to himself, "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon."

"Please, stay out of trouble."

Zuko pulled up his hood and left the apartment. He walked back onto the main street and headed for the apartment building he saw the girl go into earlier. There were still many people out. With the rain gone, the crowds began to come back into the streets. He passed a group of people standing around a vender playing a street game. The vender would put a rock under one of the three cups sitting on the crate he was using as a table. Then he would moves the cups so you would have to guess which one the rock was under. No one ever guessed right. Zuko assumed the man was cheating somehow.

Zuko walked on, and before long he was standing outside the building. He looked up at it. There were many doors, all leading to different rooms. Many people lived here. It would be almost impossible to find her room. Unless she left her apartment. He would be able to see her open her door. Then he'd know. He sat down on the curb across the street, watching. He didn't know if she would come out, or even if she was home. But he had to try.

He sat there for a long time. The sky was starting to grow dark as the sun set. People walked passed him and paid him no notice. It wasn't uncommon for someone to be in the gutter in the lower ring. He didn't mind, since he didn't notice any of them. It was nice to just be invisible; not have people pointing out his scar, or asking him for his story.

"Li?" a voice said close by. Zuko looked up. A boy was standing over him. He had dark hair, and a piece of grass sticking out from between his lips. Zuko stood up and faced the boy. He recognized him from the ferry they had taken to enter the city. He had helped this boy steal food from the captain, but declined his invitation to join his gang. The boy's name escaped him.

"Thought that was you," the boy said. He leaned in close, making Zuko take a step back. He continued towards Zuko until Zuko's back was against the wall. "You're a dead man," he whispered. Zuko pushed him back and took out his knife. The boy pulled out his hooked swords.

"I told you," Zuko said, "You don't want someone like me in your gang. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"Oh, I know we wouldn't want you. You're a liar, and a criminal," the boy spat. He leaned in closer again. "Fire Nation scum," he said in a voice that was thick with hate.

He lunged at Zuko, who was able to step out of the way and push the boy into the wall behind him. The boy steadied himself, but Zuko ran up the street. He didn't want to fight the boy and risk being taken by the Dai Li. Zuko didn't know what to think now. Two people knew they were Fire Nation. Things were getting worse.

He ran into their apartment, took off his hood, and walked into his bedroom. Sitting down on his bed, Zuko put his head in his hands. He was scared, something he didn't want to admit to himself. _How do they know? How many people know?_ His mind raced with questions he couldn't answer. _Could they be working together?_

Laying down, he tried to work out what had happened over the last few days. He stayed up throughout most of the night. He didn't sleep much anymore. He couldn't.

He hadn't been this afraid in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all! Please excuse the typos, I am constantly rereading my work to improve it in anyway. What you recognize from A:TLA does not belong to me. I've had a few days off work this week so I've had plenty of time to write, but it may start slowing down a bit once work picks up again, so bare with me. As always, please review, I love hearing your opinions. You give me some great ideas. Enjoy Chapter Three!

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The water in the pot was lukewarm, and the fire underneath it had gone out. Zuko tried fruitlessly again to light the fire with the spark rocks. He had never used them before, and it was frustrating. The worst part was knowing how easy it would be to just firebend and heat the water. But with everything that had happened recently, he didn't risk it. Not even inside. Before, he would occasionally heat things up himself, or light their fireplace with bending. But he was too afraid now.

Zuko's stomach growled, and he put his hand over it to try to suppress the noise. All they had to eat was rice, stale bread, and some almost rotten fruit. It was disgusting, but he was too hungry to go without eating. He tried the rocks again and threw them to the ground when he failed to light the fire.

"Would you like some assistance?" Iroh walked over to pick up the rocks. He stepped beside Zuko and struck the rocks together, creating a fire. Zuko glared at him and walked away, putting the stale bread and fruit on their small table. Iroh tended to the water, and cooked the rice once it was hot enough. Zuko sat impatiently, angry at the poverty they were living in. This was no place for the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation to be living. His stomach growled again, and he began eating a piece of the bread. It was hard and flavorless.

Iroh set a bowl of rice down in front of him and sat as well. Iroh ate with gusto, not seeming to care that they food they had was barely eatable. Zuko ate slowly, in silence.

"It is music night at the Stone Wall Café," Iroh told him, "You should come with me and enjoy the evening."

"I don't want to," Zuko replied, "I have no interest in Earth Kingdom music."

"Prince Zuko, you need to understand that we cannot go back to the Fire Nation. Enjoying what is around you will help make this transition easier on you. They have good tea, and I'm sure there will be young ladies there," Iroh winked at him. Zuko rolled his eyes. Iroh got up and brought the dishes to the basin to wash them. "You know, meeting other people your age could be a good thing. You should make friends, and see different parts of the city."

Zuko didn't reply. He simply got up and walked into his room. Sitting down on his bed, he wondered what life would be like here if he was a normal sixteen year old. He could meet people, go out, have fun. Maybe meet a girl. He shook his head. He had only ever liked one girl. One of his sister's old friends: Mai. Azula used to tease them about it. He had never really told her about how he felt, and now he guessed it was too late.

There had been another girl. Song. She helped them when his Uncle had gotten a rash from trying to make tea from a poisonous plant. She had brought them back to her home for dinner. She was very pretty. And she knew some of the pain he felt.

"_I know what you've been through. We've all been through it. The Fire Nation has hurt you..." She reached up to touch his scar, but he pushed her hand away. She lowered her hand and looked at him. "It's okay," she said, and pulled up the leg of her pants. "They've hurt me too." There was a scar there, all up her leg. Zuko looked at her, and his eyes widened. He felt guilty, like it was his fault. Like he had hurt her._

They were very kind to him and his Uncle. And he had repaid them by stealing their ostrich horse. He wished that he could have met her in a different way, under different circumstances. He would have liked her company.

"I am going now," Iroh poked his head into Zuko's room, "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"

"I'm sure, Uncle."

Iroh left the apartment. Zuko got up and pulled his bag out from under his bed. He rummaged in it for a minute, before pulling out a small painting. He looked at his mother's smiling face. She was so beautiful. There was nothing that she wouldn't have done for Zuko. And there nothing he wouldn't do to have her back.

"Mom," he said softly, "What do I do? I feel so lost without you." Tears fell down his cheeks, but he quickly wiped them away. "I just wish that I could find you. I wish you were here in the city. I wish I knew if there was a point in searching." He thought about the night she had come in to say goodbye to him. He didn't know what was happening, but by then it was too late. He never saw her again. And probably never would.

Wiping away more tears that were now steadily falling down his face, he made to put the picture away when he noticed something else. A mask. He looked at the door to make sure his Uncle wasn't somehow standing there, and pulled it out. The Fire Nation called this the "Blue Spirit". He liked that name. Behind this mask he was free to not be himself. He changed, put the mask on, and put his broad swords over his back. He was no longer Zuko. No longer the Banished Prince. No longer scarred, or hunted, or afraid.

He opened his small window, and pulled himself out onto the rooftop. He looked out over the city. Lights were gleaming, and he could hear the chatter of thousands of people throughout the lower ring. He looked over towards the main road, and began to climb silently over rooftops to get there.

The Blue Spirit perched on a building facing the street. It was crowded as always. Bands of people were moving together, stopping at food stalls, and walking in and out of small tea shops and cafes. Groups of kids were running around, playing in the street. A begger called out to the people passing, asking for anything they could spare. In the few minutes he watched, not one person gave the man money. He turned and moved right up the street, heading again to the building just a few blocks from the tea shop. He walked passed it all the time, hoping that he would see the girl come out and know which room was hers.

He reached the end of a group of houses two blocks away from his destination and looked across the road. There was no way to jump across, it was too wide, and he would be noticed. Instead, he decided to take his Uncle's advice, and see different parts of the city. He turned and followed the houses up the side street. As he got farther from the main road, it became quieter. There were less people walking, and more people sitting in the gutter. He moved silently. No one looked up or noticed him. He kept moving, crossing alleys when he could and simply turning along with the building when he couldn't. He paid little attention to where he was going. He was free now. He wanted to explore, to get lost and find his way back.

Finally, he stopped, and looked up at the great wall separating him from the middle ring of the city. There seemed to be no way to get over it. It was too tall to climb. But maybe there was a way through it. He looked around at street level for a way to pass through and noticed something. Three boys were emerging from behind a bush that was pressed up against the wall. They carried bags full of food.

Good food. Apples were peaking out of the tops of the bags and he could smell fresh bread. He stayed low to the roof and followed them, listening to their conversation.

"We have enough here for a while," one was saying, "I can't wait to take this home and cook up some dinner. The meat looks so juicy and good."

The Blue Spirit put a hand over his stomach to stop it from growling. He only now realized how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten proper food since before they had gotten to Ba Sing Se.

He needed that food.

He looked down the street they were heading and saw a place he could jump down to the ground. He moved quickly, getting ahead of the boys and preparing himself to land in front of them. He jumped, and rolled to soften his landing. The boys froze, staring at him. He looked up at them. They looked terrified, but one dropped his bag and pulled out a knife. The Blue Spirit pulled out his swords and stood still, staring at them.

"What do you want?" the boy with the knife yelled at him. He didn't respond, but simply took a step forward. The two boys still holding their bags stepped back, but the third held his ground. "I'm not afraid of you."

The Blue Spirit continued forward, until he was close enough to hit the boy with his sword if need be. He could see the boy was shaking, but still holding his ground and holding up his knife. He turned to look at the bag of food left on the ground. The boy's eyes followed his, noticing what he was looking at. Suddenly the Blue Spirit moved, knocking the boy to the ground and grabbing the bag before the boy had time to respond. The boy pushed himself to his feet again but before he could do anything, the Blue Spirit was gone.

He ran along the rooftop, holding the bag in his arms. He didn't stop until he was far away from the boys. He opened the bag and looked inside. There was meat wrapped nicely in paper, fresh fruit, bread and even some small cakes. Zuko pulled the mask up onto the top of his head, and pulled out an apple. He took a bite of it, not remembering the last time he tasted one so crisp. He breathed deeply, enjoying himself as he finished the piece of fruit. Surely, his Uncle would be happy with the good food as well.

He continued back, getting lost and eventually finding his way to his apartment. He slipped through his window and quickly took the mask off. He could hear his Uncle moving around in the main room. He quickly changed, and took the bag of food with him out the window again. He dropped down and entered the apartment through the front door.

"Zuko," Iroh looked at the bag in his hands curiously, "How was your night out?"

Zuko smiled at him. "I explored the city. I wanted to see the wall between here and the middle ring. I met some very friendly people there who were kind enough to share their food with us."

Zuko handed the bag to his Uncle, who looked inside. His eyes widened, and Zuko noticed the small frown on his Uncle's face. "This is a very generous gift," he said, "I hope you were very kind and thanked them for their generosity."

"Of course, Uncle," Zuko replied, taking the bag back and pulling out one of the cakes. He put it on the table, and went to get two plates for them. He put the rest of the food away and went to eat.

Iroh told him about his night, and about the wonderful people who performed for them. He said he met some interesting people who said they would stop by the tea shop tomorrow. Zuko listened to the story. With his stomach finally full, he was in a much better mood. He went off to bed an hour later, and looked again at the picture of his mother. He missed her. He wondered what she would have thought if she saw him now. _She would help me through this. I wouldn't be alone._ He heard his Uncle cough in his bedroom next door, and smiled. He wasn't alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! This chapter was a bit harder to write. I'd really like your opinions on it. I will continually be re-reading it and fixing typos that I didn't catch in my first few reviews. Please review! I'd like to know what you think. Thank you all for the favorite/follows, it means a lot. Enjoy!

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"Ow!" Zuko yelled, and dropped the tea cup he was holding. He hadn't been paying attention and poured the scalding Jasmine tea over his hand. The cup shattered when it hit the ground. Zuko let out of a string of curses and bent to clean it.

"Is everything okay in here, nephew?" Iroh poked his head through the door. He looked from the broken glass on the floor to the red mark on Zuko's hand. "Did you burn yourself?"

"I'm fine, Uncle!" Zuko snapped. He threw the pieces away and angrily went to get another cup. He filled it with the Jasmine tea and walked heavily out of the back. He made his way across the tea shop and put it down on the table in front of a girl. She looked up at him with green eyes.

"Thank you so much for the tea," she smiled. Zuko nodded. She was pretty and he caught himself looking at her a bit longer than was normal. She studied his face, looking at his scar. "The fire nation…" she said quietly, almost to herself. Zuko's eyes widened slightly, and he turned away quickly and went to the back. The tea shop was nearly empty, and they would be closing soon. He washed and put away the cups that were in the basin, and swept. The girl brought her cup to the counter and handed it to Iroh. He brought it into the back to wash it. She looked like she wanted to say something to Zuko who was only a few feet away. He turned away from her and continued to sweep. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her leave the tea shop.

Iroh walked back into the room. "We can go now," he said. They walked out together. When they got to the road their apartment was on, Zuko told his Uncle he wanted to walk alone for a bit around the lower ring. Continuing straight as Iroh turned right, Zuko made his way to the building just up the street. He leaned against the building opposite, watching. He was here a lot; watching; waiting. He was starting to think that he might have been wrong about where he saw the girl go. He was losing hope of finding her.

Turning to look farther up the street, he noticed something. Eyes were watching him through the crowd. Large, amber eyes. Familiar eyes.

Zuko ran, pushing through the crowd. He caught sight of the girl. She had turned and was walking quickly back up the street. Zuko moved faster, gaining on her. Finally, he caught up.

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her around to face him. He stared again into the girl's eyes. They were wide, and frightened. She reached up and touched his hand that was holding her arm. Suddenly, Zuko felt uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do. He had thought about finding her so much over the past few weeks. He had become obsessed with it. But now that he had her, he was lost.

"Come on," he said. He didn't know what to say to her, but he knew he had to get her somewhere alone. Zuko pulled on her arm, and she followed him. People looked at them curiously as he pulled her. She didn't resist, but walked quickly behind him. He made his way back to the tea shop, and went around to the back. It was a small area, well covered by trees and the walls from neighboring buildings. He knew they wouldn't be overheard here. He turned around to face her. He was shaking. "Who are you," he asked.

"Anji, my lord," she said quietly. Zuko felt a surge of pride, and sadness, when she said 'my lord'. He missed being called that. He missed being Prince Zuko, the Fire Prince, and heir to the throne. But he remembered where he was. In Ba Sing Se, he was no prince.

"I am not your lord," he said disdainfully, "My name is Li, understand?"

"Yes," she said, "just as mine is Yin."

Zuko frowned at her, "Are you from the Fire Nation?" She nodded. He felt relieved slightly. If she really was from the fire nation, she wouldn't turn him over to the Dai Li. _But what if she's working for Azula?_ he thought. The relief he had just felt went away. That would be worse than the Dai Li. "What are you doing in Ba Sing Se?"

She looked at the ground, "I had nowhere else to go."

"Were you banished?"

"Not from the Fire Nation, no. But from my house, from my family." She looked sad.

"What do you want from me," he said. He didn't trust her. She could easily be lying. Most people in the Fire Nation knew he was banished, and if she was working with Azula, she'd know exactly what to say to win his sympathy.

"Want from you? Nothing, Prince Zu- _Li_" she corrected herself. "I just wanted to see if it was really you. I never dreamed I would see you in Ba Sing Se."

_I never dreamed I would end up here_, he thought. Now came the hard part. He knew she could be lying, working for Azula, or the Dai Li. He couldn't just let her go again. He'd be putting himself and his Uncle at risk of being found out. Ba Sing Se was the last safe place for them. He wouldn't let anyone jeopardize that. He stared at her for a long while. She wasn't looking at him anymore. She looked ashamed. He tried to read her face. He was never any good at that. Azula could read a person's whole life in their eyes. She always knew who they were. Zuko just saw eyes.

"Come with me," he said finally. He would bring her back to his apartment, to Uncle. They'd keep her there as their prisoner until he could figure out what to do. His Uncle would help him. Staying in this damned city was more important to Iroh than Zuko. He noticed her looking at him curiously. He knew he had to say something to make her not suspect anything. "Let's have a cup of tea."

_I sound like Uncle_, he thought. She nodded, and he led her back to his apartment. Walking inside, he called out to see if his Uncle was home. He wasn't. _Where did he go?_ Zuko became nervous. She was here in his home, and he didn't have a plan. He didn't know what to do. He offered Anji a seat and went to brew a pot of tea. He was so sick of tea.

When it was done brewing, Zuko poured two cups and went to the table to sit. She thanked him and they sat in silence for a few minutes drinking. Anji was looking around the apartment. There was nothing special about it. The only decorations were a few plants his Uncle had bought. He said they livened up the room.

"So," he said awkwardly, "Do you live alone in the city?" He didn't want to make small talk with her, but the silence was starting to make him more uncomfortable. The more they sat there, the more he suspected she knew what he was planning. He wanted to distract her until his Uncle got home.

"Yeah," she said, "I have a room not too far from here. Its small, but it's just me there, so I don't need much." Zuko nodded. He knew that already. "Is it General Iroh who lives here with you?"

Zuko quickly looked at her and opened his mouth to speak. "My Uncle," he stuttered, "yeah, he lives here with me."

"My family always held General Iroh in high regard," she said, "My father is a high ranking officer in the Fire Nation Army. And my brother," she paused and looked sad, "he fought in the war too."

She was starting to open up to him. Zuko started at her, confused. He didn't know why she was telling him about her family. He guessed that she also found it hard to relate to these Earth Kingdom peasants. She couldn't tell anyone else what she was going through.

_But she might be working for Azula_.

If she was here to try to win his trust, she'd have to have a good story. Azula would know that, and would have told her what to say. She always knew how to twist his emotions. She knew what scared him, and had always used it against him. Azula always lied.

_Aluza always lies._

Anji was still talking to him. Zuko shook his head and looked at her. He had been lost in his thoughts. She asked if he was okay. He nodded. Her amber eyes were full of concern. He could see that clearly. She showed her emotions openly in her eyes. He had been able to tell when she was excited, and scared. Somehow, there was something comforting in her eyes. She was from the Fire Nation. It had been so long since he talked to someone his age from the Fire Nation. He'd barely ever talked to people from outside the palace at home. He had been told it wasn't the prince's place to be seen fraternizing with the commoners.

"What do you mean 'he fought in the war'," Zuko asked, "What happened to him?"

Anji closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The Fire Lord betrayed him," she said, fighting back tears. "He wanted to fight for the betterment of his nation, and he was repaid by being used as bait."

Zuko stared at her. That's what they were going to do to that battalion. They were going to use them as a distraction. He had been offended by the idea of using their men as scapegoats. He had spoken out against it. Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but he stopped suddenly. The door opened, and his Uncle walked in.

Iroh looked from Zuko to Anji, and smiled. "I see you have a guest."

"Yes, Uncle," Zuko said, giving him a meaningful look. Iroh looked him in the eye, and nodded.

He shut the door, and locked it.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello friends! Thank you all for the reviews from chapter 4, I really appreciate it! I've been having writers block, so hopefully you like this chapter. Please review, means a lot to me. Thank you everyone who's followed/favorited this story. So yeah, enjoy!

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Iroh shut the door, and locked it.

Anji looked from Iroh to Zuko suspiciously. Zuko was still staring intently at Iroh. Iroh walked to the table and sat down. The two Fire Nation men looked at the girl sitting across from them. She put the heel of her hand against her fist and bowed her head to Iroh. When she looked back up, her eyes darted to the locked door.

"You can never be too careful," Iroh said, following her eyes. "I like to take precautions to keep my nephew and myself safe." He looked back at her. "What is your name?"

"Anji," she said looking back at him. Her eyes kept moving between Iroh and Zuko. She looked frightened now. Zuko wasn't worried about her getting away. They could easily stop her if she tried anything. He was relieved his Uncle was back. Iroh was always good at getting the truth out of people.

"Anji…" Iroh repeated, "That's a very nice name. And you're from the Fire Nation?"

"Yes sir," she said quietly, like she didn't want him to hear her. Saying out loud that she was from the Fire Nation would incriminate her if they turned her over to the Dai Li. Zuko had thought about it, and considered that possibility. It would get her out of the picture. Permanently. Zuko shuddered at the thought of what might happen to her if she was taken.

On the boat into Ba Sing Se, he had heard stories about the Dai Li. About how people who tried to disturb the order were taken away, and fixed. And that was for Earth Kingdom citizens. If they discovered someone from the Fire Nation, he could only imagine what they'd do to her. Kill her, most likely. He looked at Anji again. Her amber eyes were wide. Her dark hair fell smoothly over her shoulders. Her mouth was trembling. She was from the Fire Nation. One of their own. He couldn't hand her over. But what could they do?

"Well then," Iroh said happily, "You are welcome here! It is amazing to have found you in this big city. I am glad my nephew was able to bring you back so I could meet you as well."

Both Zuko and Anji looked at Iroh in surprise. Zuko didn't know what his Uncle was doing. She wasn't welcome here. He didn't want to turn her in, but certainly not entertain her like a guest. She was their prisoner. That's why he had brought her here. What was his Uncle doing?

"Thank you so much," Anji smiled. Her surprise had turned to delight. "It really is an honor to meet you. My father served under your leadership while you were laying siege to this city. He is now a general in the Fire Nation Army."

"What is his name?" Iroh asked her, smiling. Zuko just stared blankly at her while she spoke to his Uncle.

"Ikem Sang. My brother's name is Chuugi. I had been telling Prince Zuko about him when you arrived."

"Ah yes, I remember Ikem. He was promoted after the siege. He is a very strong and noble man."

Anji and Iroh continued to talk about her father and the siege on Ba Sing Se. Zuko had heard all of his Uncle's stories a thousand times, but Anji was fascinated. She sat and listened to Iroh's tales. Zuko got up, and went to make food. They were nearing the end of the meat he had gotten the other night.

Boiling a pot of water for rice, Zuko thought about their situation. He supposed that making her believe she was welcome here was a good idea. There'd be less of a chance that she'd try to escape. Especially now, after his Uncle had told her who they were, she couldn't be let go. It would put them in too much danger. She could still be working for Azula.

Zuko shook his head and looked back at the table. Iroh was smiling and listening to Anji, who looked like she was telling a story. She spoke with her hands, and her face was full of life. Zuko hadn't remembered the last time he saw a girl so happy. There was his sister's friend, Ty Lee, who was always happy. But she also always watched what she said or did. He guessed that's what happened when you were friends with Azula. You watch your step. Azula was happy, but it was a cold, detached kind of happiness, and it was almost always at someone else's (namely Zuko's) expense. And Mai, well, Mai was never happy. He didn't really know anyone else his age. He supposed he knew the Water Tribe peasants, but not really. He couldn't remember their names.

This girl was so different from the people he knew from home. She didn't look like she was trying to impress anyone. She looked happy, and comfortable. She seemed very quick to open up. Zuko didn't really understand why. He didn't tell people things. He preferred to keep things to himself.

He was still looking at the table. Anji looked over at him and their eyes met. She smiled. Zuko turned back to the rice he was cooking. She made him uncomfortable. He cooked the rest of the meat they had, and set three plates of food down on the table. They thanked him, and began to eat. The room was quiet as they ate.

When they were done, Iroh stopped Zuko from getting up and collecting the plates. "I can do this," he said, "Why don't you and Anji take a walk around the city."

"Around the city?" Zuko said, looking confused, "Don't you think we should stay in?" He didn't think it was a good idea for her to leave the apartment. He didn't know if they'd ever be able to get here back here again.

"No, Zuko," Iroh said meaningfully, "I don't see any reason you need to stay in. Go out and enjoy yourselves." He turned to Anji, "You are welcome here whenever you'd like to visit. We will always be more than happy to have you."

"Thank you so much," Anji said, smiling at Iroh. She stood up and looked down at Zuko. "Care to join me? I know a really great place where you can see past the wall into the middle ring."

"He'd love to join you," Iroh said before Zuko could protest. He pulled Zuko up and walked them both to the door. "Have a wonderful evening. Please come visit us soon, Anji."

They walked out onto the main road. It was crowded. Vendors yelled at the people passing, trying to sell their goods. Zuko followed as Anji went up to different carts to see what they were selling. He didn't much care for interacting with the peasants who lived in the lower ring. He looked around through to crowd of people.

"…been so nice. Do you think he'd like it?"

"What?" Zuko asked, looking back at her. She had been talking to him.

"I said, you're Uncle has been so nice to me. I wanted to get him something small as a 'Thank You' for being so welcoming. At home, we always gave people small gifts. My mother said it shows respect." She held up the paper lantern she was holding. It was a pale green and had a lotus flower painted on it. "Would he like this?"

Zuko nodded. It looked like something his Uncle would actually like. Anji smiled at him and turned to buy it. They continued up the road. Neither of them spoke. Zuko felt awkward. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't any good at small talk. Anji didn't look uncomfortable. She was probably used to walking these streets alone. Zuko didn't go out much except to get food from the market. Anji seemed to know more of the city than he did. He followed her, letting her lead the way. She walked them towards the inner wall. The only time Zuko had been this way was the night he had gotten them from fresh food.

"So we're just about here," she said. They were there. The same little street. "It's a bit of a squeeze, but it shouldn't be a problem." She walked over to a bush that was pressed right up against the wall. She pulled it back, revealing a hole that opened into the middle ring. Zuko pushed his way through, and Anji followed. They were in someone's yard, all the way on the edge near the road. Anji motioned for him to follow her. They walked out onto the main road.

Everything was different. The houses were bigger, and much nicer looking. The streets were clean, and not at all crowded. There were no vendors. As they walked down the street, he saw people sitting inside nice restaurants, eating food that looked better than anything he could remember. It was like they pushed their way into a different world.

They continued up the street, and came to a café that had people playing music. Zuko recognized the tune as one his Uncle would hum. Anji said they should sit and listen for a while. He didn't want to, but decided not to protest. They got a table and Anji disappeared for a moment, only to return with two small cakes and two cups of tea. Zuko pulled out a few copper pieces from his pocket and tried to hand them to her.

"No please," she said, "this is on me." They sat in silence, listening to the band play. The cake was delicious. Once they were done eating, Anji started to talk. "Do you like it here? I know it's not really suited for you. You deserve so much better than this. But it's not all bad, I guess."

"It's not great," Zuko said softly. He didn't like living in Ba Sing Se. He didn't think he ever would.

"At least life is simple here," she said. _Simple_, he thought sarcastically. He didn't think there was ever a time in his life that he'd call simple. Even here, there was always something wrong; something at the back of his mind that didn't let him believe that he was okay here. He knew that he could still return home, if he had the Avatar. There was almost no chance of that happening now. Why would the Avatar ever be in Ba Sing Se? Zuko knew that it was ridiculous to think that he'd find him here. And yet, in the back of his mind, he knew that if he did, and if he could capture him, all of this would be over, and he could finally return home.

"Are you okay?" Anji said, looking concerned. Zuko realized he had been staring off into space, and his hand was curled into a tight fist on the table.

"I'm fine," he said. "We should head back." He didn't want to be out. He regretted letting his Uncle push him out the door. His Uncle had a tendency to put him in situations he didn't want to be in.

"Alright," she said, and they got up. They walked back to the gap in the wall and squeezed through. She lead them back towards Zuko's apartment in silence. The streets were still very crowded. They had to weave through groups of people to get down the street. Zuko grabbed her arm to keep from getting separated. He still wasn't very familiar with the lower ring, and he didn't want to get lost. He felt her shudder under his grip, but he didn't let go.

After about ten minutes of walking, Zuko could see her building coming up on the right. He tried to think of a way to convince her to not go back there, but to go with him instead, but he couldn't come up with anything. He did already have hold on her. Maybe he could simply take her by force.

Anji broke the silence. "I would never betray my Prince," she said softly as they neared her apartment. Zuko looked down at her. She was looking at the ground, and spoke quietly. Zuko had to strain to hear her. "I know you don't trust me. I can tell. But I'll have you know, my loyalty is fully with you."

"You're putting your loyalty in the wrong place," Zuko said back, "I'm no longer heir to the throne." He hated himself for saying it out loud.

"I don't care," she said angrily. "I am not loyal to the Fire Nation, or to the Fire Lord."

"That's treasonous," he whispered. She didn't respond. Zuko was taken aback by her blatant admission of disloyalty to his father. That wasn't very common among Fire Nation citizens. Everyone adored Fire Lord Ozai. "This is not the place to talk about this." They were still outside, in public. The lower ring was crowed and noisy, but there was still a chance they'd be overheard.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said. They were outside her apartment. "I should be going. But I promised your Uncle I would visit you at the tea shop tomorrow. So I will see you then." She bowed slightly to him, trying not to be obvious. Zuko let go of her arm and watched her go up to her room. She was the third door from the left on the second level. He finally knew.

Zuko walked back to his apartment. Iroh was still awake when he walked inside. He had his Pai Sho board out, and was playing by himself. When he heard Zuko open the door, he turned and smiled widely at him.

"I hope you enjoyed your walk," Iroh said cheerfully.

"I don't understand, Uncle." Zuko was confused and angry. "Why did you let her go?"

"I do not believe that she is a threat to us. I think that we can consider her a friend."

"A friend?" Zuko didn't understand.

"Yes, my nephew," Iroh laughed, "I think she is a charming girl, and that you two could become friends, if you give her a chance."

"I'm going to bed," Zuko replied, ignoring what his Uncle had said.

"Try to have some faith in people. Opening yourself to another person can help you better understand yourself."

He went into this room and shut the door. Laying down, he thought about Anji. He thought about how she said that she was loyal to him. He hadn't believed anyone would be loyal to a scared and banished prince. He felt something inside him that he hadn't felt in a while. He couldn't put a name to the feeling, but it made him feel better. As he closed his eyes, he thought about her big amber ones, and her smile. He slowly drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again! Thank you for the reviews of chapter 5. I'm glad that those of you who are reviewing like my story. It feels awesome to know that people are enjoying it. So yeah! Another chapter up pretty quick. This is something a little different. Anything you recognize from the show belongs to Nickelodeon and the people who made A:TLA. Not me. So as always, please enjoy and leave a review!

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The sun was shining through the window opposite the bed. Its light illuminated the room, which was small and cluttered. Clothes lay haphazardly at the end of the bed, and there were books scattered across the floor. The kitchen of this studio apartment was clean, save for a teacup and plate still sitting on the counter. Beside the bed, a portrait of a family was propped up against the lantern. A haughty, respectable looking man stood next to a sheepish looking woman. She was beautiful, but even in this portrait, she looked afraid. Two children stood in the foreground. A girl, no more than eight, stood beaming in front of her mother. Her hair was pulled up and her face showed nothing but joy. She was holding the hand of the teenage boy who stood next to her. He had the same confident air as his father, but he didn't smile. The picture looked posed. The only thing in it that looked genuine was the smile on the little girl's face and the two siblings holding hands.

There was a girl sleeping in the bed. The same girl as from the picture, but older. She rolled over, and some clothes fell off the end of the bed onto the floor. The sun light was creeping its way higher. It was almost shining onto her face. But she slept on. The street outside the window was already noisy, despite the earliness of the day. Voices from venders trying to sell their goods drifted up from the road.

As the sun reached the girl's face, she breathed in deeply and opened her eyes. It was typical of a fire bender to rise with the sun. Sitting up and stretching, Anji looked around her apartment. She noticed the apples she had on the counter were starting to get too ripe. It would spoil soon. She pulled back the covers and stood up. Walking over to her kitchen, she picked up an apple and began to eat. She walked with it over to the window. She pushed it over and let the warm breeze into the room. It was a beautiful day.

She finished eating and went to her closet to get dressed. Pulling off her night shirt, she looked down at her stomach and the faint red lines that crisscrossed it. They were scares; faded and thin, but still visible if you knew where to look. Shaking her head to rid it of the memories that were starting to creep up from where they were suppressed, she pulled on her Earth Kingdom clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror and ran a hand through her dark hair, catching it in the tangles. She picked up her hair brush and got rid of the knots. She didn't like the way her hair looked. It was plain. She pulled it up into a loose bun at the back on her neck.

She heard a yell from outside the window and went over to look outside. She stumbled over a book that was on the floor, and picked it up. She placed it on her bed, on top of the clothes, and continued to the window. A boy was standing outside looking up at her room. He had light brown hair that was almost blonde from the sun. He was holding a package.

"Good morning Yin!" he yelled up to her.

"Morning Hahn." She smiled down at him. Hahn lived a few doors away. He was always very kind to her, and helped her find work where he could.

"Want to deliver this for me?" he held up the package, "It's going to the upper ring. Thought you might like to take the trip up there."

"The upper ring? What is it?"

"Just some new merchandise for my Uncle's shop. My dad just finished it last night and wants it to get there as soon as possible. He's paying 2 gold pieces. Figured you'd be interested."

"Two gold pieces? Of course I'm interested. I'll be down in a minute," Anji yelled down, and closed the window. She quickly went to put on shoes and grab the bag she used for deliveries. _Two gold pieces_, she thought excitedly, _This must be expensive stuff_. She hurried out of her apartment and down to the courtyard where Hahn was waiting.

"I've got a pass for the trip up there, and then here's the stuff." He handed her the package and she quickly put it into her messenger bag. "The shop is literally a block away from the railway station. You'll have no problem finding it. My Uncle will pay you once you drop it off."

"Thanks," she said, "Walk with me to the train?"

They set off together down the street. Hahn was eighteen, three years older than she was. He had moved to the city when he was little. His father thought it was the safest place for them. Hahn didn't really understand the war. All he knew was to detest the Fire Nation. It was the same kind of blind hate they taught in the Fire Nation schools Anji had gone to. He didn't know anything about the Fire Nation or its people. He didn't know why the war was being fought, or what was really going on outside the wall. She supposed that was for the best. She wished she didn't know. She wished she hadn't experienced firsthand how bad it really was.

"Do you have any plans for later today?" Hahn asked her as they walked.

"I'm going to visit some people I met recently. It's a man and his nephew. They work at the tea shop on the main road."

"You know that old man? He's getting a reputation for his tea. I wouldn't be surprised if someone offered him a better job soon."

Anji smiled. That would be good for them. I better job, and probably a nicer place to live. Maybe even in the middle ring. It wouldn't be enough, but maybe he'd be happier there.

They reached the train, and Hahn helped her onto the right one. They said goodbye, and Anji went to find a seat. The ride was nice. They passed through the middle ring, which was full of nice houses and beautiful landscapes. She had been there many times before. Hahn had shown her the gap in the wall, which they used to go buy better food and clothes in the middle ring. The train was moving fast, and they were already close to the upper ring. She was excited for this. She had never been up here before.

The train passed through the wall and she gasped quiets at the sight. The palace was in front of them. It was huge and beautiful. The Earth Kingdom insignia was on the wall above the door. She felt so humbled by the size of it. General Iroh was a great man, but she could understand why the Fire Nation couldn't break through the walls.

It was an amazing sight.

The train slowed to a stop and Anji got off, carrying her bag. The streets were busy with carriages being pulled by ostrich-horses. She began walking up the street. She felt out of place. Her clothes were dirty, and she had sewn them in places to fix holes. She hoped the shop she was bringing this package too wasn't going to be too fancy.

She arrived just as the owner was unlocking the door.

"Are you Hahn's Uncle?" She said when she was close enough for him to hear.

"I am. Who's asking?"

"My name is Yin. Hahn asked me to deliver this to you." She pulled the package out of her bag and handed it to him.

"Oh wonderful," he tucked it under his arm and led her into the shop. It was large and filled with beautiful jewelry. _Hahn's father must make all this and send it up here_, she thought. She followed the man to the counter and he opened the container sitting there. "Now, how much do I owe you?"

"Hahn told me two gold pieces," she said, feeling a bit uncomfortable telling him an amount.

"Two it is then." He handed her the money. "You live in the lower ring right? Are you looking for a job? Or know anyone who is? My partner and I were looking to open a new restaurant up here soon and we're looking for some people to run it."

"Well, I don't know about for a restaurant. But I do know that there's a tea maker in the lower ring that is getting a reputation for his skill. I'm sure if you wanted to open a tea shop up here, that he and his nephew would be more than happy to get out of the lower ring."

Anji gave him the rest of the information about the shop, and the man promised he'd go down and check it out for himself. With that, Anji left and walked back towards the rail station. She didn't bother stopping to look in the stores up here. She wouldn't be able to afford any of it.

The trip back was uneventful. The train wasn't very crowded given the time of day. Most people were at work. When she was finally in the lower ring, she set off for Hahn's father's workshop to tell him she had finished the delivery. The streets were crowded as always. She weaved through the people effortlessly. Living here for the past two years had given her a lot of practice getting up the street.

She knocked on the door to the workshop and then walked in. Hahn was using earth bending and a particularly sharp rock to cut a sheet on metal into strips. He set down the rock when she entered and waved at her. She smiled and waved back, and walked over to see what he was making. Hahn's father wasn't there.

"What are these for," she asked picking up a strip of metal.

"They're going to get turned into bracelets."

"That's amazing! And you can cut them with your bending. I wish I could earth bend too." She was lying. She didn't want to earth bend. But she missed her own bending. She couldn't bend at all in Ba Sing Se. It was too dangerous.

Hahn smiled at her. They had talked before about her wanting to be able to bend. They just both had different meaning for that.

"How was the train ride?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject to cheer her up.

"Oh it was fine." She put the strip back down and went to sit on a nearby workbench. Hahn followed her and sat beside her. "Your Uncle is very kind."

"I hope he paid you enough," Hahn said, sounding worried, "he can be pretty cheap with money."

"He gave me two gold pieces, just like you said."

They kept chatting for a while. Hahn had been one of her very best friends for the last two years. He made her feel welcome here. She felt sad that he didn't even know her real name, or where she was really from. He wouldn't like it if he knew.

She stayed there for a while and watched him work. She enjoyed being with him. He made her stomach flutter. She always tried to ignore it.

When the sun began to set again, she remembered that she had told General Iroh that she would visit them at the tea shop today. She said farewell to Hahn and walked back to her apartment. When she was inside, she set down her bag and put the money she had received in her little tin on the bedside table. She went back over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. Her hair was starting to fall out of its bun. She signed and let it down. It fell lazily over her shoulders. She wished there was a way to make it more interesting. But she couldn't think of anything. She picked up the lantern she had bought for General Iroh and left her apartment.

The tea shop was just down the street. She could see it from this far away. There was something wrong. People were outside, shouting. Her stomach lurched and she ran over to see what was going on. Pushing her way through the crowd, she was able to catch a glimpse of a boy with hooked swords. He was standing face to face with Prince Zuko who was dual wielding broad swords. They were swinging at each other. Anji gasped and wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do.

"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now!" She heard the boy yell. Prince Zuko pinned one of his swords down with one of his own.

"You're the one who needs help."

Prince Zuko slashed at the other boy, who had to bend backwards to avoid his sword. It crossed right over his head. The boy jumped back.

"See that!" he yelled, "The Fire Nation is trying to silence me! It'll never happen." He jumped back at Prince Zuko. The fight was getting more and more intense. They were back to back now, both using one sword and trying to get a good angle on the other. They were matching each other blow for blow.

The crowd that had formed parted slightly and two Dai Li agents walked through. "Drop your weapons!" One shouted over the noise. The two boys stepped back from each other.

"Arrest them," the boy yelled, "They're fire benders!"

"This poor boy is confused." She heard General Iroh's voice from somewhere in the crowd. "We're just simple refugees."

"This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"

"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

"Come with us, son." The Dai Li agents walked up behind the boy, and arrested him. They dragged him off, while he was still yelling about them being fire benders.

The crowd began to disperse. Anji fought through them to get to the tea shop. General Iroh was standing there, his hand on Prince Zuko's shoulder.

"What happened? Are you alright, Li?" she said. She was worried he was hurt. Prince Zuko didn't respond, but kept looking down the street where they had taken the boy away.

"He's alright," General Iroh smiled at her. I just think he needs to get home for the night and relax. And maybe have a soothing cup of tea."

Zuko made an exasperated noise, "All you think about is tea." He turned and walked back into the tea shop.

"Did that boy just attack you out of nowhere?" she asked.

"We met him on the ferry over here. My nephew seemed to get along with him well. But he got the idea in his head that we were from the Fire Nation." Iroh laughed.

"This is for you," she said, remembering the gift she had bought. She held up the lantern.

"This is lovely," he said, taking it from her. He admired the painted lotus on it. "The lotus flower is one of my favorites." She smiled at him. She was glad he liked the gift. Prince Zuko said he would. "I believe that my nephew needs some time alone tonight. But I hope that you can come have dinner with us again soon."

"Of course! Whenever you'd like," she bowed to him. She said goodbye and walked back to her apartment. Anji was glad that she had met them. She felt like she could talk to General Iroh. He made her feel valued, which was something she hadn't felt in a long time. And perhaps, some day, she'd be able to talk to Prince Zuko as well. She'd like that. She had always admired her prince.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys! I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I've been busy finishing up my summer classes and getting ready to move back to college. The ending is rocky for this one, I admit. Sorry about that. I really wanted to get this up though. I hope you enjoy it! Please, as always, leave a review to tell me what you think!

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_This is stupid_, Zuko thought as he made his way through the crowded street. His Uncle had put together a small package for Anji, and told him to go deliver it to her. _Why can't he take it himself, or just wait until he sees her again? I am not a messenger_. Zuko was pushing through the crowd a bit more forcefully than was necessary. He had been having a very bad day. People had been exceptionally rude today. He didn't know why, but they were always rude to him and charming to his Uncle. _That green eyed girl was in again today though_, he thought to himself. _That was nice_.

He also couldn't stop thinking about that boy from the other night. He hadn't remembered his name the first time he had run into him in the city. But after their fight, he remembered. His name was Jet. He was from the Earth Kingdom, and he had been travelling with two other kids. Jet called them the "Freedom Fighters", and had extended Zuko and invitation to join them. Uncle had given them away as Fire Nation. After that, Zuko knew they couldn't ever bend in the city, even for the smallest things.

He reached her building. He looked up at the third door from the left on the second floor. There was light coming through the window next to it. _At least she's home_, he thought. He walked in and climbed the stairs to the second level. Just as he went to knock, the door opened. He was face to face with another boy. He had light brown hair, and blue eyes that narrowed as he looked at Zuko. Behind him, Anji was sitting on her bed. She smiled and got up when she caught sight of him.

"Li!" she said excitedly, "I didn't know you were coming over."

"I'm just here to give you this," he said, holding up the package. "It's from my Uncle."

She stepped beside the boy and took the package from him. "That's so sweet," she said. "Li, this is Hahn. He's a craftsman, and he works in his father's shop just down the road." She turned to look at Hahn, "This is the boy I was telling you about. His Uncle is the tea maker from that shop on the main street."

"Nice to meet you," Hahn said, a bit coldly.

"A pleasure," Zuko matched his tone. Anji looked between them, her face confused.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow, Yin," Hahn said, breaking eye contact with Zuko. He left, walking slowly down the hall to the stairs. Anji and Zuko watched as he left.

"Please, come in." Anji smiled and gestured for him to follow her. Zuko hesitated, but his Uncle had told him he had to be polite to her. He supposed that she'd be less likely to turn them in if she considered them friends. He followed her inside, and took the seat she offered at a small table in the kitchen area of the studio apartment. She hurried over to the pot to brew some tea, and threw some of the clothes that were scattered on the bed into her closet. "I'm sorry that this place is such a mess," she was saying as she cleaned.

"Don't worry about it," he said, watching her. She looked over at him and smiled, then came and sat across from him. "I'm sorry to intrude."

"No, you're not intruding! It's an honor to have you here. Would you like anything?"

Zuko realized why she was so flustered. She had the prince of her nation sitting in her kitchen. He felt uncomfortable after realizing it. "No," he said, "I'm fine. You don't need to entertain me. I can go if you're busy." He wasn't any good at small talk. And he didn't really want to be there in the first place. The whole situation was awkward. _Why couldn't Uncle deliver his own damn gift_…

"Please, at least have some tea with me."

Zuko nodded. He supposed he should say something. But he couldn't think of anything. He stared at the table in front of him. The package was sitting on it.

"Why don't you open it," he said, pointing at the package.

"Okay," Anji said, reaching for it. She untied the string holding it closed, and unfolded the top. Inside there was a collection of teas, along with a bag of Fire Flakes and a small blue and red paper lantern. Her mouth broke into a smile as she pulled the lantern out of the box. "It's beautiful!"

"Those are my Uncle's favorite teas. A lot of them are from the Fire Nation. And the candy is something we still had from there too."

"I haven't had Fire Flakes in years! They were always one of my favorites," Anji sounded like she was trying not to cry. She looked at him through tear filled eyes. "Do you miss it as much as I do?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down at his hands. He didn't want to think about it.

"You deserve so much more…"

"What do you know?" Zuko snapped at her. He didn't mean to snap, but the stress of the day had gotten to him. She looked taken aback at his anger. "You keep saying that I deserve more than this. But how do you know that? I was wrong to speak out against my father and I was banished. This is exactly what I deserve. Don't talk about thing you don't understand."

"I understand more than you think," she said quietly.

"No you don't. You don't know what happened."

"Yes, I do," she looked scared of him, and she spoke softly. Zuko looked at her skeptically. He was sure that she had just heard rumors, and that she couldn't know what actually happened. Because she would agree that he got what he deserved. "I told you, my father is a general in the Fire Nation Army. He was there at that war meeting…" Zuko didn't respond. He was angry. Who did she think she was? She didn't know anything. "…and the Agni Kai."

Zuko had thought of something. "That's how you recognized me. You knew about my scar." Anji nodded.

"My father told us about how you had spoken out against the plan to send in soldiers as bait. He said it was wrong of you, it wasn't your place." She shut her eyes and shook her head. He could see tears welling up in her eyes. Zuko didn't understand why she was getting so upset. Then, he remembered something she had said that night in his apartment.

"Your brother…"

"He was betrayed!" she yelled. Zuko's eyes widened at her sudden outburst. "My father knew it would happen but didn't do anything. He didn't want to jeopardize his position. Not even for his own son. And he didn't tell my brother anything." She was crying steadily now, and talking fast. "He just let Chuugi go to die. He didn't care. You cared." She looked at him dead in the eye, and Zuko didn't know what to do. She was upset, and mad. All the rage and sadness from the last few years of her life was pouring out of her. It sounded like she had thought about this a lot. It was probably the first time she ever said it out loud. He sat there, unsure what to do, so he let her keep talking. "You didn't even know them, but you wanted to protect them. You _cared_ about your people. I told my father that he was a coward, and that he had dishonored our family by letting it happen. He told me to show him respect, or leave and not come back..." Anji stopped talking. She was crying into her hands. He didn't know what to do, so he just looked at her. He felt sad.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "that I couldn't help him."

Anji was able to stop her crying and looked up at him. Zuko looked into her eyes, and for once he saw more than just eyes. He saw pain, and sadness. And something else. Something alive, that was burning inside her.

Just then, water began to overflow from the teapot that had been brewing for too long. Anji jumped up and went to take the pot of the fire. "I'm so sorry, I forgot about this. Let me just clean this up and then we can-" She stopped talking as Zuko took the pot out of her hand. She didn't see him get up. He put the pot down on the heat pad and walked her back over to the table.

"Just sit down." He went back over to the water that was spilt and began to clean it up. He didn't know why, but he wanted to do it. Once all the water was dried up, he went back to sit with her. Zuko had no idea what to do. He felt sorry for her. Losing your family is hard; he knew that from experience. "I'm sorry," he said again softly.

"No, I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have said all of that."

Zuko was at a loss for what to say or do. He just sat there staring at her. She was so open with him. It's like she had been waiting for years for someone to come along who she could tell her story to. She had obviously thought about it a lot. _But was it true? _Despite everything, Zuko still felt suspicious. He had heard stories like that from his sister thousands of times. The last time she told him a story like that, she almost took him prisoner. If this was some kind of trap, he'd be playing right into her hands by letting himself get emotional over it. But if it wasn't a trap, and all that was true, he wouldn't ever forgive himself for leaving her alone with her pain.

"I should be going soon," he finally said. "My Uncle will start to wonder where I am."

She looked at him with sad eyes. He turned his head to avoid her gaze. He needed some kind of reassurance that this was all real. He couldn't just trust her. He didn't trust anyone.

"I understand," Anji whispered. Zuko stood up, and looked at her. She was staring at the table in front of her. Zuko knew that once he talked to his Uncle, he'd know if she was lying or not. He had an idea.

"Why don't you join us for dinner tonight?"

"I don't want to be a burden," she said unconvincingly. Zuko noticed her face perk up at the invitation. He reassured her that it would be fine, and his Uncle would be very happy for her to join them. She promised she'd come by later that evening, and thanked him for the invitation.

Zuko left, and walked back towards the tea shop where his Uncle was still working. After talking to his Uncle, he would know if she was telling the truth. If she was, they'd be there for her. Zuko was sure his Uncle would want to know what happened, and would be able to help her more than he could. And if she was lying, they'd figure out what to do with her.

He hoped she wasn't lying. He didn't know if he could take someone else turning their back on him.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. I recently moved back into college and with classes and everything I've been pretty distracted. But here it is! I tried doing something a bit differently. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone who's followed or favorited my story. It means so much to me. Please leave a review! I look forward to hearing your feedback. Enjoy!

* * *

It had been slow all day at the tea shop. A few people sat throughout the shop, but it was far from crowded. Zuko watched from behind the counter as his Uncle checked on each table. He didn't have anything to do. He had already cleaned and swept the floor, as well as washed all the used tea cups. Zuko was bored and antsy. There was no reason for him to be here today. The sun was shining in through the open door. It air that drifted in was warm. He could hear children running around and playing in the street outside. He desperately wished that he could be outside. He wanted to explore. Staying trapped inside was starting to eat away at his sanity.

A few more people walked into the shop and came up to the counter to order. Zuko recognized one of them. She had dark hair, and green eyes. She smiled when she caught his eye, and greeted him cheerfully. He nodded back at her.

Zuko went into the back to prepare their tea as they went and sat down. He was glad for something to do, even if it was just serving them. The tea still needed time. He put a pot of water over the fire and sat down on a box to wait. He put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. He was agitated. Being here was getting to him. He couldn't take the walls. Everything was so closed up. He was trapped here. Trapped.

"_It wasn't a good situation to start with. I couldn't do anything without his permission. I had no freedom there. I was so trapped."_

He had too much on his mind to be stuck here. Last night had been a lot to handle. He really needed to go back home. He needed to sleep. He needed to run away and not look back. He couldn't take this anymore. Standing, Zuko started pacing up and down the back room, his hands on his head, pulling at his black hair. He felt trapped in his own head. _What is happening to me? Why can't I just calm down? Why am I so angry? _He kicked over the box he had been sitting on. It was heavier than he anticipated it to be, and he winced at the unexpected pain in his foot.

"Don't lash out at that, Zuko" a voice behind him said. He wheeled around to find his Uncle watching him.

"I'm not lashing out," Zuko spat.

"Then why did you kick that box? It's full of Hojicha tea, a very good brew. It's strong, but doesn't have much energy give to its drinker."

"I don't care about the stupid tea!"

"Stupid tea?" Iroh sounded offended. "After all the time you've had to appreciate the art of tea making here at the shop, you still see it as no more than water."

"Do you really need me today? There's no one here, you can handle this on your own."

"It is your job, Zuko. You cannot walk out on your responsibility."

Zuko scowled and turned away from his Uncle. He wasn't responsible for the state of this retched tea shop.

"_He said I was the one responsible for the pain, not him. I was the one who was wrong, it was all my fault. I should have listened to him. I never meant to disobey him. I was just always messing up."_

"It was never your fault…" Zuko said softly to himself. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he shook himself to clear his head. He looked down to see his Uncle standing beside him. Iroh looked concerned. Zuko didn't realized he had started zoning out. He couldn't stop thinking about last night.

"I understand what is troubling you, my nephew. You're upset about Anji."

"Why would I be upset about her? She told us the truth, we can trust her. We don't have to worry about her."

"Then why are you still worried?"

Zuko was angry. He didn't want to have to explain himself to his Uncle. _Stupid, old man_, he thought viciously to himself, _What does he know? _Zuko didn't want a lecture. He wanted to get out of this peasant tea shop and escape these damned walls. He took a deep breath.

"I'm not worried."

"She's a strong girl. Her pain is similar to yours. Maybe, hearing what she said last night made you start to feel some of that old pain again?"

"You're wrong, Uncle."

"Why don't you go home, Zuko. You're right, it's very slow today, and I can handle things on my own for a bit." Iroh smiled at him.

"Thank you."

He walked out from the back room, passed the counter and the empty tables. The green eyed girl tried to catch his eye as he passed her, but he didn't acknowledge her. Zuko left the tea shop and headed for his apartment. He rubbed his eye, and for the first time in a while noticed the scar beneath his hand. The skin was softer there than anywhere else on his face. It felt strange under his fingers.

"_I feel bad for you. I can try to hide my scars. If I don't think about them, I can almost forget they're there. But you have to see yours every day. You're much stronger than me. I wouldn't be able to keep myself together."_

Trying to ignore the tears welling up in his eyes, Zuko walked faster. He couldn't keep himself together. He was angry. After last night, he had become so overwhelmed with a pain he hadn't dealt with in a long time. But it was different. Someone else knew his pain, more than anyone else he had ever met.

Closing the door behind him, Zuko fell to his knees. He couldn't stop tears from falling from his eyes. _What is wrong with me?_ he thought to himself. He tried to collect himself, but it was useless. The tears continued to roll down his cheeks onto the floor. Looking up, he saw Anji, still fast asleep on the couch where they had left her. They had been up late. Zuko refused to sleep until she did. The sun was rising before they had finally given in for the night. Despite the energy the sun had given them, they were able to drift off; although, Zuko had to get up soon after to go to work.

He got up and walked over to sit down on the floor in front of the couch. The sun was shining brightly through the window now. He thought back to when the light was just starting to sneak through this morning. They had talked all night. He had never talked to someone like that before. She had laid her life out in front of him, and he had done the same thing. He told her everything. He shared his pain with her, and she understood. Zuko leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

* * *

"_Your scars?" Zuko asked, his eyes darting from her face to her arms and legs. _

"_Yeah, they're not obvious. I guess I'm lucky." She put a hand on her stomach and forced a smile. _

"_Luckier than me," Zuko looked away and let his fingers feel the scar on his eye. He hated it. Anji's fake smile vanished and she started to apologize. "Don't." he said to stop her from apologizing. "I don't think either of us is lucky."_

"_I feel bad for you," Anji said quietly. "I can try to hide my scars. If I don't think about them, I can almost forget they're there. But you have to see yours every day. You're much stronger than me. I wouldn't be able to keep myself together."_

"_You learn to ignore it. It becomes normal."_

_"Terrible things should never become normal." Anji looked angry. Her fists were clenched in her lap. Zuko guessed that he had touched a nerve._

"_I'm sorry," he said, confused. "It's a scar. There's nothing I can do about it." Anji didn't say anything. She just stared down at her lap in silence. Zuko didn't know what to do or say. He didn't understand why she was so upset. "You know," he said, trying to think of what his Uncle would do, "You can talk to me if you want. My Uncle always says that leaving yourself open to someone can help you discover more about yourself, or something like that."_

"_Then what about you? Who do you leave yourself open to?"_

_Zuko looked away from her. He didn't open up to anyone. He never wanted to, it was too easy for someone to turn around and use it against him. Azula always would. _

"_I don't," he said, "You don't need to talk to me. Forget I said anything."_

"_No, that's not what I meant. I want to tell you. I think that you've felt the same pain I have. You might actually understand. No one else could. Hahn would ask me why I lived alone here, and where my family was. I had to lie and tell him that they were killed. His family is so close; he could never understand that mine wasn't that way. But you… you know what it feels like to have a broken family."_

"_I've never seen my family as broken…" He hadn't. He knew that his father wasn't the most caring, and that his sister was insane. His mother had been the kindest, most caring woman in the world. She always protected him. She had left him, though. Even with all that, he never once thought of them as a broken family. That's just how family was. _

"_I think your scar proves otherwise."_

"_What about your scars?" Zuko didn't see anything on her skin. He was curious. She had talked about how she wasn't free at home, and how her father controlled her and her mother. Anji sighed and lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach. All across her skin, there were faint, white lines. Zuko stared. It looked like she had been whipped. But they were too thin for a whip. "What did he do?" Anji didn't answer. She had her eyes closed, too embarrassed to look at him. Before Zuko knew what he was doing, he reached out to touch the lines. His fingers brushed her skin. Anji jumped and flung her arm out to push him away. Flames jumped from her fingers, and Zuko threw himself backwards out of the way of the fire. He realized that touching her stomach while she had her eyes shut had been the wrong thing to do. He was surprised by her fire. He didn't know she was a bender. _

"_I'm sorry, my lord," Anji had her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry."_

"_It's not your fault. I shouldn't have-"_

"_No, you didn't do anything wrong. You can do whatever you want with me. Please, it won't happen again."_

_Zuko could see her trembling. In his mind, he could picture her like this, helpless and scarred, trying to hide her face from her father. Zuko felt sick at the thought. He remembered the fear he felt as his father had walked towards him, telling him to fight for his honor, lifting Zuko's scared face to his, and punishing Zuko for his crime._

_He didn't have anything to say to her. Nothing he could think of would help. "It's not your fault," he said again, more to himself than to her, "You didn't do anything wrong." Her hands where still covering her face. Tears were escaping through her fingers. _

_Suddenly, he was back three years ago. He was on board a Fire Nation ship, his ship, in his bedchamber, looking at his bandaged face in the mirror. Timidly, he lifted his hands up to start unwrapping the bandages. He let them fall and there was his face, burned and disfigured. He stared at his own reflection. He let his fingers touch the burnt skin. He couldn't stop himself from crying. His mouth trembled. He yelled and fire came flaring out of his mouth. The mirror shattered as his fist made contact with it. He fell to the ground, his hand bleeding from the broken glass, crying uncontrollably. He would never be able to forgive himself for what he'd done. This was his fault._

* * *

"Prince Zuko?" a voice said close to him. Zuko opened his eyes. Anji was kneeling beside him. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep. He shook his head to try and orient himself. He could still see his reflection from his dream. He touched his scar. It was soft.

"I thought I told you, my name is Li. And I'm not your prince," Zuko said with a faint smile. Anji let out a quiet laugh and sat down next to him. "You know, nothing that happened in the past was your fault. You can blame yourself for something your father did to you." Anji was looking up at him, but Zuko was staring off into the room in front of him. "There's something my Uncle said a few years ago that I never really thought about until now. 'Just as flowers can't choose where they blossom, kids can't choose their parents.'"

"That's very poetic," Anji was smiling.

"Well, that's my Uncle for you. He's full of stuff like that."

"Your Uncle is a good teacher."

"Yeah, he is."

They sat there quietly. Outside the window the sun was slipping down behind the wall. The front door opened and Iroh walked in. He saw them sitting together on the floor and smiled. He was happy his nephew had finally left himself open to someone. He could finally begin to heal.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! Thank you for the reviews from my last chapter! I'm glad you all liked it. It makes me smile to get such nice reviews. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really do. As always, please follow/favorite this story if you like it! And please leave a review! I'd love to hear your feedback. Enjoy!

* * *

The tea shop wasn't very busy. The sun was shining outside and the air was warm. No one wanted to be inside on a day like this. Zuko was no exception. He was so distracted by the noises of people in the street outside. They sounded busy and cheerful. He leaned against the counter and sighed. He wasn't busy at all. Most days he wouldn't mind not having anything to do, but today it was frustrating. Time was passing so slowly.

"Li, stop looking so forlorn! It doesn't suit you." Anji smiled from her stool at the counter. She had come to visit them. Zuko glared at her.

"Don't you have something better to be doing than just sitting in here?"

"Not really. I ran some errands for Hahn's father this morning, but now I'm pretty much free for the rest of the day. Well, I am getting dinner with him tonight. But I have time before that." Anji blushed slightly. Zuko noticed it, and smirked to himself.

"You like this guy a lot, don't you?" Zuko said knowingly. Anji's blush became darker and she shushed him as she turned away. The bell over the door rang as it opened. Zuko looked over to see how many people were coming in. It was just one. A girl. She caught his eye and smiled before going to sit down. Zuko watched her as she found a seat and picked up the short tea list. "I'll be right back," he said to Anji. He went into the back and poured a cup of Jasmine tea. It was fresh, which was lucky. His Uncle must have just finished brewing it. The girl was still looking over the list when Zuko placed the cup down in front of her.

"I don't see why you bother looking at that," Zuko said, gesturing at the list, "You always get Jasmine."

"You remembered my order? Someone needs to get a raise," she laughed.

"Let me know if you need anything else." Zuko walked back to the counter. He wished he could have come up with something clever to say back, but he was bad at small talk. Anji was giggling to herself as he retook his place behind the counter. He glared at her again.

"That was cute," she smiled.

"Shut up."

"You don't look so unhappy anymore."

"I said shut up."

"That's not a nice thing to say, my nephew." Iroh had joined them. Zuko frowned. _She started it_, he thought to himself. The thought reminded him of how he used to fight with Azula, and how his mother would intervene. But Anji was a lot nicer than Azula.

"He didn't mean it," Anji was still smiling at Zuko, "He's just embarrassed." The look Zuko gave her made her smile falter slightly.

Iroh was looking over at the girl, who was reading as she enjoyed her tea. He looked back at the teenagers beside him, who were poking fun at each other and laughing. Iroh sighed and smiled. This is what he wanted. This was the beginning of a normal life here in the city. It was what he and his nephew needed.

"It looks like she's almost finished that cup, you should probably go get another one ready so you can bring her another when she's done."

"I swear to the Spirits, I will kick you out of this shop."

"You can't kick me out, I'm a paying customer."

Zuko groaned exasperatedly and walked into the back. He needed a break from her. This was just like with Azula and Mai when he was little. He had liked Mai a lot. And he knew she had liked him too. Azula and Ty Lee had always made fun of them for it, and he hated it. He didn't know the green eyed girl at all. He didn't even know her name. But she was pretty, and seemed nice from the few times they'd spoke. _This is absolutely ridiculous_, Zuko thought to himself, _Am I really going to fool myself into thinking about some girl here in Ba Sing Se? We won't be here for very long. This is temporary. It doesn't matter how pretty she might be._

"Zuko," Iroh said softly, poking his head back, "I think you should go check to see if she would like anymore tea."

"Can't you go check? Why do I have to?"

Iroh smiled, "She is your customer."

Zuko groaned and walked past Iroh, who was still chuckling to himself, into the main room. The girl was still reading. If she wanted more tea, she would come ask for it. He didn't get why he had to go make sure she was okay. She looked pretty content just sitting there reading. This was just his Uncle putting him into situations he didn't want to be in.

"Would you like anything else?" Zuko said, trying to sound like he wasn't angry. The girl looked up at him with her big, green eyes. Zuko swallowed, trying to not just walk away from her.

"I'm okay for now, but can I ask you something?"

Zuko's eyes widened, "Sure."

"I've come in here a lot, because I've noticed something about you. And I wanted to know if I was right…"

She was about to continue, looking slightly embarrassed. But Zuko had just become worried at what she said. '_I wanted to know if I was right_.' That's what she just said. That's what Anji had said when she had figured him out. Anji had known he was from the Fire Nation.

"I need to go help my Uncle." Zuko said suddenly, and walked away. He was nervous. What if she knew too? It seemed so unlikely that random people would know, but he had never seen Anji before that day and she knew. Who's to say this girl didn't know? "Uncle," he said, stepping close to him to whisper, "We have a problem. One of the customers is onto us." He motioned over with his eyes. "Don't look now, but that girl over there at the corner table. She knows we're Fire Nation," Iroh smiled and looked over at the table. Zuko grabbed his arm and pulled him back around. "Didn't I say don't look?"

"You're right, Zuko. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot," Iroh was still smiling, "Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you."

"What?" Zuko said in disbelief.

"Thank you for the tea," said a soft voice behind them. Zuko jumped and turned around to face her. He took the money she handed him and turned away to put it into the register. "What's your name?" she asked. Zuko was surprised she kept talking, but he turned to face her again.

"My name's Li. My Uncle and I just moved here."

"Hi Li, my name's Jin. Thank you, and well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime."

Zuko looked at her, not knowing what to say. Go out? Like, on a date? He had never been on a date before. He had only been thirteen when he was banished and there weren't many opportunities to meet anyone while he was searching for the Avatar. A date? He wasn't sure he wanted to. She was pretty, and he had noticed her whenever she would come in. But he wasn't very good at small talk. It would probably be best if he didn't.

"He'd love to!" Iroh jumped in happily.

"Great! I'll meet you in front of the shop at sundown." Jin turned and left the shop. Zuko watched her go before turning to glare at his Uncle.

"I did not agree to this."

"You'll have a lovely time. She seems like a sweet girl."

"I don't want to go."

"But it would be very impolite to stand her up after you said you would go."

"I never said anything! You told her I would go! This is ridiculous!" He stormed off into the back, still ranting about his Uncle and all the things Iroh made him do. Meanwhile, Anji was still sitting at the counter, laughing. She collected herself and turned to Iroh.

"You sure know how to get his blood boiling."

"I do it because I know that he will enjoy things if he puts himself out there. But that's something he will never do on his own. He needs a little extra encouragement. "

"Encouragement?" Zuko yelled from the back, "This isn't encouragement, Uncle!"

Zuko continued ranting for a while. Anji finally had to leave to get ready for her dinner with Hahn. Zuko tried his best to come up with witty comments about it, but after the scene his Uncle had caused, he had no leg to stand on. The tea shop slowly emptied and they were able to go home for the night.

In their apartment, Iroh helped Zuko into a nice shirt and pants, and combed his hair down. Zuko refused to do it himself, since he was still hesitant about his date.

"What if I can't come up with anything to say to her?"

"Just be yourself. You are a charming young man, I'm sure she will have a wonderful time out with you. And you will have a wonderful time yourself."

* * *

The date wasn't as bad as Zuko thought it would be. They got dinner. Jin was very different from any girl he had met in the Fire Nation. She ate with gusto, not seeming to care about acting properly or anything like that. It was surprising.

"You have quite an appetite for a girl," he said, and immediately regretted it. He had gotten flustered. The waiter referred to Jin as his girlfriend, and he had accidentally yelled back at him, which he didn't mean to do. He was trying his best to not seem unhappy that he was here.

Jin asked him about what he and his Uncle did before getting to Ba Sing Se. Zuko tried to come up with a good story to tell her, but he couldn't. He ended up saying they were part of a travelling circus. He hated himself for that. _What a lame story._ It seemed to get Jin excited though. She beamed and asked him to show her how to juggle. He didn't want to, but then he really saw her face. She looked genuinely interested in him. To her, he was something different and special. The thought made him feel good. He also couldn't help but notice her eyes. They were a very pretty green. Hesitantly, he took the jars she handed him and tried to juggle them. It didn't end well. Zuko dropped nearly all of them. But Jin just smiled and laughed.

She led him through the city, down streets he had never been down before. They were going to one of her favorite places in the lower ring. Her hand held his tightly. She was walking quickly because of her excitement, and Zuko was being pulled along behind her. She told him about where they were going, but Zuko could barely pay attention. He was distracted by her hand, and how soft it was. It felt nice in his. Suddenly, she stopped. Zuko looked from her disappointed face to the fountain in front of them. The square was beautiful, but none of the candles were lit. Zuko looked back at her. She was looking at the ground away from him. She looked sad. This had obviously been important to her. Jin really wanted him to see this. Making up his mind, he told her to close her eyes. Looking curious, she did what he said.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko fire bended. He sent small spurts of flame to each of the candles around the square. He tried to be quick, hoping she wouldn't peek. The lights danced off the water and lit up the square.

"Okay, now you can look."

Jin opened her eyes, and he jaw dropped. "Oh wow." She looked all around the square at the flickering lights. Zuko had eyes only for her. She looked stunning. Without answering her questions about how he managed to light them, he looked towards the fountain. Her hand found his again, and she turned him to face her. He quickly took the coupon he had from his Uncle out of his pocket. He put it between them. He was starting to feel uneasy from how close they were. She smiled and took it.

"I have something for you too. Now it's your turn to close your eyes."

He did as she said, feeling nervous. Suddenly, her lips were against his. He felt heat rising up inside him, like someone had lit a fire inside his stomach. His heart was racing. This was something he wanted. He wanted to feel her lips against his over and over again. She pulled away but he leaned forward to recapture the kiss. In that moment, Zuko wanted nothing more than to feel the Earth Kingdom girl in his arms, to hold her tightly, and to start over.

_Earth Kingdom girl._

All too soon he snapped back to where he was. He was kissing this Earth Kingdom peasant. He pulled away, breaking the kiss and the illusion. He turned and walked away from her.

"What's wrong?" Jin said at his back. She sounded disappointed.

"It's complicated. I have to go."

He left her standing in the square, the lanterns reflecting off the water. He was an idiot. He fire bended in the middle of the street. Anyone could have seen him. And for what? Some girl? It was reckless and stupid. And he had kissed her. Zuko shook his head as he ran up the street. That kiss… It had been so nice. He had lost himself completely in that kiss. Thoughts of a new life had spun all around his head. But they wouldn't ever come true. He couldn't get close to her. If she ever found out the truth about him, she would hate him. She was part of the Earth Kingdom. And yet, she had made him feel better than anything else in this city.

He finally made it back to his apartment. Opening the door quietly, he tried to make it to his room before his Uncle could start harassing him. He didn't make it.

"How was your night, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko slammed his bedroom door behind him; making it clear to his Uncle he didn't want to discuss it. Taking a deep breath, he slid the door open a crack.

"It was nice," he said to his Uncle. He could see Iroh smile before shutting the door again. He went over to his bed and laid down. The fire in his stomach had dropped lower. He lifted his hand to his mouth and felt his lips. He had really enjoyed her kiss. Taking a deep breath, he got back up and took off his nicer clothes. He kept taking deep breathes, trying to extinguish the heat now in his pants. He ran his hand through his short hair and shook his head. Laying back down, he looked towards the door to make sure it was completely closed before slowly slipping off his boxers.


End file.
